


Land of the Desert Tree

by oriolegirl



Series: Birds of a Feather [2]
Category: Sports Night
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-01
Updated: 2007-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-02 17:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oriolegirl/pseuds/oriolegirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam starts figuring out his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Land of the Desert Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Companion piece to [Unnatural Pretzels](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9082).

Sam was in Albuquerque when he realized he might be in trouble.

Sometimes the time difference worked in their favor. The show Sam was working on was an early evening broadcast, so by the time _Sports Night_ was over and Dan was home, Sam was about ready to go to bed.

They'd had amazing phone sex the night before. It wasn't as good as sex in person, as being able to touch, but Dan did this thing with his voice. Sam couldn't explain it, but it made him shiver just thinking about it. And Dan had done it last night.

As he headed out of the hotel in the morning, the clerk at the desk stopped him and said an overnight package had been delivered for him. Curious, Sam took it back up to his room. When he opened it, he found a box of Lucky Charms.

Dan had called him the other day from the grocery store wondering if he should buy Lucky Charms or if he should be a grown-up and get something nutritious and full of fiber like that Kashi stuff Casey insisted on buying even though it tasted like styrofoam.

Sam had said, "I don't think Casey is necessarily the best role model to emulate." As soon as the words left his mouth, he'd wondered if he'd just stepped in it. He tried to tread carefully when it came to Casey.

But then Dan had snorted and replied, "You're probably right about that. Lucky Charms, it is."

Laughing, Sam pulled the cereal out of the box. Underneath, there was a note which read, You're a much better role model. He sat down abruptly, shocked by the realization that he was doing more than just having sex with Dan.

~*~

The reality of what he and Dan are doing hits him again a few months later in Phoenix.

This time he's working on a nightly sports show, something akin to _Lone Star Sports_. With the time difference, Sam is still working when Dan's going to bed. So they're playing phone tag and sending e-mails and text messages. Sam never had any desire to learn how to text, but Charlie showed Dan how and Dan thought it was so cool that he kept texting Sam until he finally gave in and changed his cell phone plan.

It's the dead time between baseball's Winter Meetings and Spring Training and Dan is feverishly seeking out rumors involving his beloved Orioles. Sam is keeping an occasional eye on the Cardinals, but he's really busy with this job. For all intents and purposes, the people on this show don't seem to care if they improve their ratings or lose their jobs. Most days, Sam feels like he's beating a dead horse.

So when Dan leaves him a taunting voicemail about the Cards signing Sidney Ponson, complete with mocking laughter, Sam texts him a message that says "sid good pickup." He's doing it mostly to be contrary because it's people like the ones on this show that make him seriously think about retirement.

Things quickly devolve into a full blown argument between them. Sam's not quite sure how it happened. After Dan hangs up on him during one of the few times they actually manage to talk on the phone, Sam realizes that he's way more invested in this thing that he and Dan are doing than he thought. Because if he didn't care about Dan, this stupid argument would be reason enough to end things. Instead, he finds himself sending Dan a peace offering -- tickets to a Spring Training game between the Orioles and the Cardinals.

~*~

He's in Carson City when he finally admits the obvious and the inevitable, which are two different things.

What's obvious -- and has been for quite awhile if he'd bothered to look, which he purposely hadn't -- is that he's in love with Dan. He has been for years. Always going back to New York during stretches between jobs should have been a clue. Changing his cell phone plan and conceding arguments with baseball tickets, more clues. Being able to criticize Casey without repercussions? A clue that he's not alone in this. Obviously, this thing they've been doing for years now is a mutual love relationship thing.

What's inevitable is that retirement is looming. The job in Phoenix showed him that his tolerance for stupidity is even lower than it used to be and that he frankly doesn't care anymore. He's got better things to do with his time. Like spend it with Dan.

He is, he thinks, finally ready to settle down. To stop wandering. To be in one place with one person.

But he's not stupid enough to tell Dan that. Not quite yet. Dan will undoubtedly have a major freak-out over this and Sam isn't ready to deal with that. He's not entirely sure he's not going to have a minor freak-out of his own. Best to give the idea time to settle before doing anything about it.

~*~

It's in Flagstaff that he starts putting together the rest of his life.

Sam is beginning to wonder about the desert Southwest. Why has he had so many jobs here in the last year and a half? And why has he had so many revelations? These things don't happen to him in the Northeast or the Midwest. It's probably a good thing that he'll be leaving in a couple of weeks. He has no plans to return anytime soon. There are only so many revelations a man can handle in that amount of time.

The word is out that he's retiring. He's got his last two jobs lined up and then that's it. No more Sam Donovan, ratings guy. Instead it will be Sam Donovan, retired guy. Retired guy who is hopefully living with his lover. He'd say boyfriend, but that seems an awfully silly word considering his age.

The next thing to tackle is Dan. But he's got it all worked out. He'll call tomorrow, just before Dan goes on air, to tell him about the retirement and his plan to move to New York. It's probably unfair of him, but Dan is a professional and he'll get through the show just fine. And this way, Dan will have time for his (hopefully minor) freak-out before either of them can say anything they might regret.

Once Dan has time to think things through, they should be alright. He knows he loves Dan. He's pretty damn sure that Dan loves him back. The rest will take care of itself.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Random Title Generator Challenge](http://ana-grrl.livejournal.com/199860.html).  
> Thanks, as always, to [](http://silver-cyanne.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://silver-cyanne.livejournal.com/)**silver_cyanne** for the beta.


End file.
